Black and Queer AI Groups Say They’ll Spurn Google Funding

In a joint statement released Monday, Black in AI, Queer in AI, and Widening NLP said they acted to protest Googles treatment of its previous ethical AI team leaders Timnit Gebru and Margaret Mitchell, as well as former employer April Christina Curley, a Black queer female.”In the statement, the groups endorse calls made in March by former and present Google staff members for scholastic conferences to decline Google financing and for policymakers to enact more powerful whistleblower defenses for AI researchers.This is the very first time in the brief history of each of the 3 organizations that they have actually turned down funding from a sponsor.Mondays announcement marks the newest fallout in action to Googles treatment of Black individuals and females and accusations of disturbance in research study documents about AI slated for publication at academic conferences.In March, organizers of the Fairness, Accountability, and Transparency (FAccT) conference turned down Google funding, and scientist Luke Stark turned down $60,000 in Google funding.”Black in AI cofounder Rediet Abebe, who will end up being the first Black female professors member at the University of California Berkeleys department of electrical engineering and computer science, dedicated last year to not taking money from Google to reduce the companys sway over AI research study.

In a joint declaration released Monday, Black in AI, Queer in AI, and Widening NLP stated they acted to object Googles treatment of its previous ethical AI group leaders Timnit Gebru and Margaret Mitchell, as well as former employer April Christina Curley, a Black queer woman.”In the declaration, the groups endorse calls made in March by present and former Google workers for scholastic conferences to reject Google financing and for policymakers to enact stronger whistleblower defenses for AI researchers.This is the very first time in the brief history of each of the three organizations that they have actually turned down financing from a sponsor.Mondays announcement marks the newest fallout in reaction to Googles treatment of Black individuals and ladies and accusations of disturbance in research documents about AI slated for publication at scholastic conferences.In March, organizers of the Fairness, Accountability, and Transparency (FAccT) conference turned down Google funding, and researcher Luke Stark turned down $60,000 in Google financing.”Black in AI cofounder Rediet Abebe, who will become the first Black woman faculty member at the University of California Berkeleys department of electrical engineering and computer science, dedicated last year to not taking cash from Google to diminish the businesss sway over AI research study.